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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25114030">Never Have I Ever</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FindingMyNiche/pseuds/FindingMyNiche'>FindingMyNiche</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Never Have I Ever (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, POV Third Person</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:08:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25114030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FindingMyNiche/pseuds/FindingMyNiche</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Netflix Original show 'Never Have I Ever' retold from the perspective of Paxton Hall-Yoshida</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Gross &amp; Devi Vishwakumar, Devi Vishwakumar &amp; Nalini Vishwakumar, Fabiola Torres &amp; Devi Vishwakumar &amp; Eleanor Wong, Paxton Hall-Yoshida &amp; Rebecca Hall-Yoshida, Paxton Hall-Yoshida/Devi Vishwakumar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Never Have I Ever...been blatantly asked to have sex</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this from a request on tumblr and I kind of like it so here is my first ever work on ao3. It is possible I will diverge from canon after I finish with season 1 but we'll see how this goes, I will also add tags as they apply. I have another fic in mind that I hope to post in addition to this one, but without further ado here's episode 1 as focused on Paxton. Let me know anything you want to see, enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Paxton Hall-Yoshida: resident heartthrob, varsity swim team captain, and all-around nice and pretty chill guy. That’s what his fellow students at Sherman Oaks High think when they see him at least, but I mean come on, he’s definitely double-take worthy and that’s Paxton’s image, unbothered, athletic, and generally unproblematic. That's the issue with images, though, they solemnly capture the full picture.</p>
<p>“You’ve got to be kidding me” the exasperated groan heavy in Paxton’s voice, “they’re really gonna make me retake history?” The question was more for himself than, his best friend, Trent but a response came nonetheless.</p>
<p>“What?” The paper Paxton’s schedule was printed on was snatched out of his hands and Trent swiftly skimmed the page as the dots connected in his head, “Oh, the class from last year, I’m sorry bro that sucks.” He said as he casually handed the page back.</p>
<p>It’s the first day of the new school year at Sherman Oaks High School and the students are settling back into the swing of things. As per usual at this school, the student schedules are emailed to them weeks before school actually starts, but Paxton decided to not look at his until he got to school and that was coming back, rather quickly, to bite him in the ass. He and Trent were huddled at his locker catching up on the last 48 hours since they’ve spoken before heading to their, now apparently separate, classes.<br/>

</p><p>These boys have never been the most studious; you could possibly call Trent willfully oblivious, the former often just letting everything fall as they may, insisting, to the dismay of Paxton, that things would be ‘fine’. With the buzz of anxiety that came with knowing he had to retake a class that was now full of people younger than him fading, Paxton was finally alert enough to realize that the formerly noisy hallways had fallen damn near silent. </p>
<p>“Shit dude, we’re late,” Paxton rolled his eyes. Trent laughed, grabbing his bag and shutting Paxton’s locker.</p>
<p>“Have fun with the youngins” Trent was already walking away with a wink before Paxton could retort back. Well, there goes the plan of attempting to sneak in relatively unseen. Taking a deep breath Paxton shifted into his more commonly known school persona, cool, calm, and drool-worthy while he made his way to class. As Paxton approached the door and heard the teacher beginning his lecture, he didn’t leave time for contemplating his regrettable circumstances. Paxton stepped through the door and made his way to the first seat in sight which was, being on par with the way the day was going, in the front row. Paxton had just gotten settled in his seat and faced the teacher when “Damn” sounded behind him. Paxton, along with the rest of the class, turned to directly behind him to face the girl residing in the seat. No one had time to comment as the teacher added to her remark and tacked it onto his lesson.</p>
<p>“-genocide is not 100. And systemic racism is not litty. As we travel through all of humanity’s most horrific atrocities, I want you to feel shooketh. Thank you. Trust'' as if the intro could not get worse, the teacher dabbed and then proceeded to stumble into the trash can placed beside his desk. Paxton slouched into his seat with a sharp breath intake and a slight cringe, he knew it was going to be a very long year. </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>With class finally over, students emptied the room and Paxton followed but stopped smoothly in the middle of the hallway; dropping his bag to tie his shoe and then continued to class.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>The day droned by, only being briefly punctuated with excitement from Trent and persistent stares. When the bell rang signaling the end of the school day athletes and club kids alike made their way to their respective areas. Paxton found his way to the school pool for a much-needed outlet for his energy. Swimming, for Paxton, was like breathing. It came naturally and was a reprieve from everyday stresses. People stared yes, but it was not because of his objective attractiveness and more so because of his fluidity inside the water. In the water, Paxton moved one with it. It seemed as though the water acted as his guide instead of pushing against him. This coupled with the fact that the pool was where Paxton had felt the most comfortable and the most accepted. Yes, he was competing when he swam but it was never a chore; honestly, Paxton would spend all day, every day in the water if he could.</p>
<p>Practice ended, to much of the swimmers’ dismay, and soon after they were emptying the school into the night air, “Later man '' Paxton called to one of his teammates before bounding down the steps. He cut right to his car and reveled in the thought of finally getting home and back into the bed he’d been daydreaming about from the moment he left it, when a voice, calling his name from behind, stopped him in his tracks.</p>
<p>He pivoted on his toes to face, the girl from his history class? Confusion flooded his body as the girl, now introduced as Devi Vishwakumar, began to ramble and Paxton’s face contorted as his puzzlement started to show. Devi could see that Paxton was not connecting who she was to anyone he’d seen and sighed slightly before begrudgingly admitting,</p>
<p>“I was also paralyzed last year?”</p>
<p>Realization fell onto Paxton’s face but it was gone as soon as it appeared. Devi didn’t miss a beat before continuing,</p>
<p>“Oh, okay, great. You are familiar with that.” She took a breath, “So here’s the thing. I’m into you.” She scanned Paxton’s face for any indication that her words affected him, she did not find one and seemingly panicked because she recommenced, stating “Like, I could name every class you’ve had for the last two years.”</p>
<p>Paxton’s face smoothed, two beats passed, and he only blinked. Devi spat out, “But I won’t do that. And I know you’d never be my boyfriend, because you’re you and I’m me,” Paxton rocked on his feet. “-but I was wondering if you would ever consider…” she swallowed and stuttered through her embarrassment “h--having sex with me?”</p>
<p>Several moments of tense silence followed and Devi broke, the words tumbling from her mouth like a busted pipe. “Oh, my God. I’m such an idiot. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I just did that.” She was turned around, fleeing, at this point potentially to go hide in her room, never to come out again when Paxton spoke up.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Okay.”</p>
<p>“What?” Devi could not believe her ears</p>
<p>“Just sex, right?” Paxton asked</p>
<p>“Just sex,” Devi confirmed</p>
<p>“I’m down, but I can’t tonight” Paxton had a date, with his bed, and also a movie with Rebecca not that he’d ever tell Devi that. </p>
<p>“Wow, okay!” The shock in Devi’s voice couldn’t be hidden if she tried, and she did not even attempt to. “Twist. This is surprising. Looking forward to it. Will circle back about it.” The shock melded into something akin to excitement and that bled from her every word. She stuck out her hand, Paxton looked down at it before hesitantly taking it into his own, she gave him one enthusiastic shake. Her smile was blinding, and Paxton stopped his own upturning lips at the strangeness of the entire interaction. He turned and walked away without looking back. 

</p><p>When Paxton made it to the school lot it was practically empty, save for a few other cars, none of which were near his own. He climbed into his truck and tossed his bag into the passenger side, at last, letting himself think about what just happened. His mind replayed the scene in his head and he gave a little laugh, this would not be the first time someone wanted to have sex with him but it was the first that someone had been as bare with it plus the first time someone let their reaction show at his answer. He shook his head because it was not a big deal but when he pulled out of the parking lot and set off on the road home, Paxton could not shake the feeling that was telling that this was going to be interesting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Never Have I Ever...(accidentally) let someone meet Rebecca</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Never Have I Ever ep 2 ‘...had sex with Paxton Hall-Yoshida’ retold from the perspective of Paxton</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>its been over a week since i first posted this story and i wanna thank everyone who decided to give it a try. Every kudo, comment, and read really means a lot it’s like a reassurance that someone wants to read what i’ve written so thank you! </p>
<p>also i want to try and update once every week or two weeks, it might go a little over like this one but that’s my goal so you can maybe expect an update in the next week or two.</p>
<p>anyway i hope you enjoy! let me know how you like it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>His talk with Devi shifted from the forefront of Paxton’s mind soon after he got home. Once he finally got home and was ready to collapse, Rebecca found her way into Paxton’s room knowing of his arrival despite his exhausted attempt to hide it and with her came several and I mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>several </span>
  </em>
  <span>sketches of clothing she had drawn and that meant Paxton had to wake up and fast. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One time, Paxton, following a long day, had fallen asleep an hour into one of Rebecca’s ventures to bounce fashion ideas off of him and he had to work for weeks to make up for it. He loved his sister to death, but he was so tired he couldn’t help it and now he learned to keep energy drinks in their house for moments just like this one. In a movement perfected with repetition, Paxton grabbed a bang energy drink from his side dresser and down it while Rebecca pulled drawing after drawing out of the roll she brought with her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton hadn’t gotten in as late as he had in the past today so Rebecca had time to show him a good portion of her ideas before they had to start their movie so that they could get some sleep. Rebecca showed him a golden dress with a sequence pattern going down the left side, a take on a plaid skirt, paired with a shirt, she even shows him shoes and accessories to go with each individual outfit among many more. Becca wanted to be a fashion designer and hoped to soon apply to fashion school but she had to complete her portfolio first and did not hesitate to enlist Paxton’s help to do this.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After Becca finished showing Paxton all she wanted for the night, they settled onto the couch to watch the movie that had caught Becca’s eye 2 days prior, </span>
  <em>
    <span>After The Ball</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The movie included an identity switch, a ball, and a touch of romance. It's a regular Cinderella tale with a twist, the protagonist was an aspiring fashion designer! Paxton could evidently see why it caught Rebecca’s eye. The movie ended rather quickly with Rebecca and Paxton engulfed deeply into the story although the latter tried to hide it. With the energy drink’s buzz leaving Paxton’s mind, his exhaustion followed and he was yawning despite himself. He and Rebecca exchanged goodnights and went to bed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The next few days went off like normal, school was still new off of summer’s high and students and teachers alike needing time to bounce back, school work was nonexistent. The classes consisted of syllabi and classroom rules and expectations. This caused widespread boredom but fortunately, on this day, lunch approached rapidly and with lunch starting, Paxton found himself in the center of it all with his group of friends inside what students called </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Hotpocket. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lunch unfolded as it always did, after they finished whatever lunch they had that day the soft hum of their light discussions broke out into full-fledged banter and laughter. Accompanying that laughter was parts of the aforementioned group messing around and sometimes engaging in ridiculous activities. Today that activity was Trent and Marcus, another close friend of theirs, battling with their lanyards. They were being dramatic as ever holding their IDs like nunchucks and swinging them about. Paxton was entangled in a lighthearted conversation with Devin, stopping on occasion to eye Trent and Marcus and laugh at their behavior. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton was looking away when he heard someone exclaim “Ow. Goddamn it”. The entire Hotpocket looked up to cringe at the scene that was, apparently, a girl getting, accidentally, slapped in the face with a lanyard. Paxton’s jaw dropped slightly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did I just hit you?” Marcus asks tentatively</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s cool” The reply from the girl, Devi, came rather fast considering her reaction from just moments ago. She adjusted her grips on her backpack straps, “Hey, Paxton, can I talk to you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton turned towards his friend, giving him a pat and chuckling through an ‘i’ll be back’ while shifting up to stand. “Okay,” his face straightened as he followed Devi out of earshot from his friends.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So I thought I would follow up on our conversation from the other day and ask if you wanted to hang out later?” The sentence was cool leaving her mouth, none of the ever-building anxiety leaked from her words.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton had to think quickly to what Devi was referencing but it came to him milliseconds later and he blinked through his realization, “Oh, oh, you mean, uh, like, have sex?” he gave a soft smile hoping to give off a comforting vibe despite the twinge of uncomfortableness brewing in his gut. “Sure, uh, maybe” he paused to think “after school today at my place?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Devi’s calm facade seemed to shatter and the word tripped from her mouth, eloquence long forgotten, “Today?” Her mind blanked with panic for a split second and the words </span>
  <em>
    <span>TOO SOON </span>
  </em>
  <span>flooded her brain. She hadn’t expected this. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s super soon, which is great.” Devi had a feeling she was more so trying to convince herself than anyone else. “Soon is great, it’s just…” an answer popped into her head, “I have orchestra after school today, so I can’t.” she had to stall, to prepare herself but couldn’t for too long. It was a miracle that Paxton had agreed in the first place. If she messes up he could change his mind so she mindfully finished “But maybe later this week?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton wanted to laugh but held it in, he opened his mouth to answer but just exhaled. His charming smile ever-present as he answered while backtracking returning once again to the Hotpocket effectively ending the conversation. “I don’t know. Maybe.” He turned, striding away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, great” Devi called, “We’ll compare calendars tomorrow or something. We’ll figure it out. Later, skater.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton had already begun to join Marcus and Trent in their makeshift game when he registered Devi’s continued speech, “What?” He asked but she tucked her head, shamefully, and walked away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Succeeding lunch, the day sped up considerably. With the commencement of the last class of the day and everyone going to their lockers and then out the door, Paxton was joining them. Today there was no swim practice so Paxton was, thankfully, headed home early. That was his thought until of course his English teacher thought now would be a great time to talk to him about his supposed “lack of participation”. This normally would be something that Paxton would care about and attempt to contemplate but not now, not today when he was getting an early day to relax and who knows what else with this extra time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was probably 15 minutes max, but to Paxton, it felt like a lifetime. He was at his car door about to get in as someone called him from his right.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey. I can actually come now. The scheduling conflict I had cleared up.” Devi stated, hands gripping her bookbag’s straps.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton didn’t miss a beat, a split second earlier and he would have cut her off. He found himself buzzed with some semblance of happiness for the company. “Cool. Get in.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” Devi smiled and hurried t0 the passenger side of the car and climbed it as Paxton got settled and they set off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When they got to Paxton’s house, he got Devi inside before his phone rang and he left the garage to answer the phone. The conversation was rather brief and as it was concluding Paxton re-entered the garage still speaking Japanese into his phone. He hung up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry. That was my grandpa,” Paxton clarified, “Can I get you a drink?” he was already making his way over to the mini-fridge he kept in the garage before she could answer. He knew how these matters, if not handled carefully, could easily tip from comfortable to awkward if he didn’t mind sharp, and that was the last thing he wanted with Devi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure. Do you have any chocolate--” Devi stopped, rather abruptly, when Paxton spun around to face her, beer in hand. She grabbed it despite herself. “Ah. Beer. You read my mind.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“All right. Well, my mom will be home soon, so...better get to it” Paxton gave a half shrug before stripping off his shirt from the bottom. If there was anything about himself that Paxton was securely confident in, it was his physical appearance. Being that Paxton was a swimmer, he could not afford to think about how others would feel about his appearance at every opportunity. Giving into potential insecure would only throw him off mentally during swim practices and comps, Paxton resolved himself a long time ago that it would help no one. So he tended to, or at least tried to, not think about it every time he showed a part of his body. Plus it’s not like any girl he was interested in who got far enough with him complained, thus taking off his shirt was no big feat and he did so without hesitation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Devi was sort of freaking out at this point but was doing a great job of not showing it. That was until Paxton’s shirt came off. The beer she was sure she had a good grip on slipped and hit the floor with a thud. Paxton’s eyes followed it, slight confusion on his face but he didn’t comment.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” the urge to explain the state of his chest took over, “Just so you know, I have to shave my chest for swimming, so the stubble might, like irritate your skin a little bit.” He lifted her limp hand to his chest for emphasis moving her hand to feel, he looked down following their joined hands, and then looked up making eye contact with Devi. He gave a small smile and she gaped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, God”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her mouth opened and closed for a few moments before her brain reconnected with her mouth. She had just touched the chest of Paxton Hall-Yoshida! Fab and Eleanor were gonna flip! But wait, her mind was now at red alert at the close proximity between her and Paxton that she’s just now processing. And so she did what any normal person would in her situation, she panicked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what? I just remembered. I have to go home,” She snatched her hand back like it was on fire leaving Paxton surprised and his hand hanging in the air as she patted his shoulders for good measure, “because I have a package coming that I need to sign for.” she nodded trying to regain her composure, it wasn’t working. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton nodded and chuckled as he and Devi switched positions in her attempt to get to the door, he shoved his hands into his pockets, “Word?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, It’s medication for my mom’s...polio.” What the heck Devi? Polio, really?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton could only nod through Devi’s hidden meltdown.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, so…” She slowly retreated to the door through her word vomit when she misstepped and a sharp pain spread at the base of her leg, “Ow. Goddamn it!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shit. Are you okay?” Paxton’s stance broke as he rushed forward to the injured girl. She leapt back before he could reach.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep, yep. I’m fine” Devi’s aim to reassure fell short as Paxton’s concerned eyes looked closer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure? You’re...bleeding.” he gestured to her leg</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s chill. I’ll see you tomorrow” humiliation ate at Devi’s very being. She had majorly fucked up, in various departments and she was out the door before Paxton could utter another word.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton was extremely bewildered and it showed on his face. With Devi gone the garage fell silent. Paxton stepped back from the door, considered his options. He could go after her or stay home and like she said, see her the following day. He weighed it and decided against trying to catch up to her. She really did seem like she just wanted him to think she was fine and to leave it alone, he wanted to respect that. His gaze swept the floor before it landed on the theorized perpetrator. It was sharpish, in a box on the floor, and sticking out in his direction; one of Paxton’s old swim trophies. He crouched down with a sigh as he picked up the award and rolled it around in his hands examining it. At the very tip was a trace amount of blood, where it had punctured Devi’s cafe. Paxton could not help but think about how strange that was, try as he had to make the whole interaction go as smoothly as possible there was no predicting that and therefore no thwarting it. With the knowledge that there was nothing Paxton could do to help the situation with Devi gone, Paxton shrugged his shirt back on and proceeded with his day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Contrary to what Devi said and to what Paxton thought, Paxton did not see Devi the entire school day. He found himself expecting to see her somewhere but always fell short when she was nowhere to be seen. The end of the day came and once again no practice, coach explained it as a new regime he was trying out, sorting out on days and off days and said it would vary until he decided what worked. Paxton was restless after two days and decided on a run after he got home. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was finishing up his 2-mile run when he saw Devi pacing in front of his house, he ran up behind her. “Sup,” he panted, her response was a scream as he had seemed to startle her. He smirked faintly, “I’m just finishing up a run,” Paxton began. He wanted to get her talking, particularly about why he found her in front of his house talking to herself. He was vaguely relieved to see her but ignored that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, cool” she crossed her arms, her demeanor chill. “So do you need to stretch or something, or are you good to just go into your garage and have sex with me?” The words marched from her mouth clear and confident. Let us take a minute to appreciate both the awkwardness of that sentence and applaud the boldness of it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um…” Caught off guard Paxton frowned deeply into his shrug, “I’m good to go to the garage.” She struts passed, her head held high, and as soon as she did Paxton swiftly lifted his shoulder to sniff his armpit, reassuring himself that he did in fact not smell. He pivoted and followed her inside.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, the blind confidence coming from Devi’s words did not translate well into action. That is how they found themselves sitting on Paxton’s couch, Devi’s arm along the back of it, their vicinity too close to not be at least talking and the tension was building. Paxton looked to her for a move and Devi jumped on it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, here we are…” she weirdly stroked from his collarbone down, the tone from outside back on, “about to pleasure each other.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton did not know if he should be weirded out by her word choice but Devi was proving, with every meeting, to be not like any of the other girls he tends to interact with. He nodded vaguely but when she tapped his nose twice he couldn’t stop his eyebrows from coming together, what exactly was happening? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But before I can rock your world, I need to freshen up.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton couldn’t decide if Devi did not see anything wrong with this whole situation or if she was choosing to ignore it, that decision would dictate how he would respond so he needed to figure it out and soon.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you point me in the direction of the ladies’ room? I wouldn’t wanna pee in the middle of doing it.” One point for ignoring the problems, zero for not seeing them. There’s no way she didn’t realize how that sounded coming from her mouth but her face gave no emotion but certainty.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton wasn’t sure if he should respond to the second part but did anyway although the words came slowly full of apprehension, as he lifted his finger in the direction of the bathroom. “Yeah, that’d be bad. First door on the right.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks” With that Devi was gone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn’t think properly with her here. She came back on a new day seemingly ready to have sex despite yesterday’s debacle. The odd opening word choice might have been endearing had it not been followed by a tense silence and more questionable sentence phrasing. It was quickly bordering on uncomfortable but awkwardness was a natural occurrence in sex so this was not a real reason to bail. He just had to wrap his head around her way of speaking and this would be fine. Paxton repeated this in his head, this will be fine. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Several minutes had gone by and Devi had yet to return. Paxton got up from his position on the couch to find her, she really should not have gotten lost. He checked the bathroom to no avail and stopped confused then he continued down the hallway when he heard voices coming from Rebecca’s room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Devi. It’s nice to meet you.” Paxton turned glimpsing into Rebecca’s room to see her shaking hands with Devi. Irritation started to build in Paxton’s chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” He directed at Devi but didn’t wait for a response before addressing his sister, “Becca, I thought you were at work.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton walked deeper into the room, “I switched with Lisa. She gets her braces off tomorrow.” Rebecca explained, satisfied with the answer he received, Paxton turned back to Devi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You said you were just going to the bathroom. What the hell?” The irritation was quickly turning to anger at Devi having met his sister. If people knew about Rebecca things could turn ugly, fast.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait. Are you mad at me or something?” The disbelief Devi felt was clear on her face, what was the problem here? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton simply didn’t respond, the budding anger brewing substantially at her attempt to play coy. He walked clear out of Rebecca’s room without a word, his expectation was clear, she was wearing her welcome thin, and she was to go with him outside. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you sneaking around my house and talking to my sister?” Paxton was comfortable to let his annoyance into his voice with his sister out of earshot.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Was I not supposed to? I didn’t even know that you had a sister.” Her voice was soft as she tried to get him to understand the genuine misunderstanding but it was far from working and Paxton was too cross to see reason right now. Come on Devi, read the room. Paxton saw this as a jab,</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you think I’m hiding her now, because I’m embarrassed of her or something?” It was definitely a question but he certainly did not want a response. Seeing someone with his sister sent Paxton into a sort of panic mode. Devi was going to go to school and tell everyone all about his sister and hell if he wasn’t going to get in a lot of fights defending her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I didn’t say that,” Devi stated, slightly defensive at the attack.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” He didn’t believe her for a second as he looked away trying to gather himself, he wanted her out now. He shook his head as the words came out his mouth spiced with venom, “I don’t think this is gonna work. All right, you should probably just go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Devi felt the air forced from her lungs leaving her speechless, she knew there was nothing more she could say and honestly couldn’t find the words either way. She gave him one last look before leaving. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton went inside, not stopping to see her go, so many emotions flowed through him but most of all he was scared. Scared of what people would say and all because he didn’t think to make sure Rebecca wasn’t home before he invited Devi inside. He was scared because he loved his sister and could not deal with people and their ignorant words and dumbass opinions but he was helpless. Paxton could not stop people from talking, couldn’t stop Devi from sharing. And Paxton hated feeling this way, the powerlessness ate at him because he was meant to always take care of his sister. So he bundled the emotions up into something he could control, aggravation, and directed it at the person who triggered the emotions, Devi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The day passed and Devi and the situation with Becca plagued Paxton’s mind. He was upset, yes but he was also rational enough to know that he couldn’t completely blame his feelings on Devi but he was at a loss. He had accused her and gotten mad entirely too quickly. He now felt stuck between his emotions and the urge to talk to her, to say what? Paxton wasn’t sure as of yet but he couldn’t speak to her, he didn’t know how to.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morning classes were a bore especially considering Paxton’s mind was not exactly on task so he found himself once again immensely thankful for lunch’s social reprieve. Paxton was surrounded by his friends and he could almost forget that something was bothering him. That was until the person Paxton was consciously avoiding called to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Paxton, can I talk to you?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The liveliness among the group died briefly before light laughter spread between them. Paxton’s energy dropped but it did not climb with the rest of his friends’. Paxton looked over, face straight, his eyes met with the expectant Devi. She sort of looked how he felt but he couldn’t compel his body to make a move. His eyes dropped from hers unable to maintain the contact with shame stewing over his behavior. Without a word to Devi, Paxton turned to his friends and continued to converse. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a chance although slight that Paxton held on to that he would not run into Devi during lunch. That did not work out. There was no chance that he could go to their </span>
  <em>
    <span>shared </span>
  </em>
  <span>history class and not be at a close distance seeing as he sat in front of her. He sat in front of her trying to focus but his mind was racing and he was dumbfounded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He still didn’t know what to say. The reasons to simply ignore her compiled, her meeting Becca, his anger, his reaction, and now him disregarding her at lunch. He was making this worse instead of better, he knew this but he couldn’t figure out how to fix it. He hated being mean to people, he hated to leave things unsettled, but this time was different. He couldn’t get a grasp on the words that would make this better, so he chose not to say anything at all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That night Paxton laid down, progressively his pent up energy was coming to a head and it was coming out as restlessness. Once he had gotten home, Paxton ran until he was spent but still he was unable to relax. He had done a series of activities including various workouts, watching movies, and cooking but nothing was untangling the knot he felt in his chest. The complete stress he felt at being a jerk to Devi. Paxton had to do something. He felt okay at first but it has gotten so much worse in such a short span of time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had to talk to her, and not tomorrow, no he needed to apologize tonight, right now. So he grabbed his keys and started to walk to Devi’s house. Thinking about it in a way that makes sense, he would have reached her sooner had he driven but Paxton wasn’t thinking. He was going totally on emotion and that was causing him to act rashly. He made it to Devi’s house relatively quickly and he rang the doorbell before processing a thought. When his finger released the doorbell, he took a breath that finally felt like it entered his lungs. Within moments a woman was answering the door, </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello?” she began, despite the door being wide open. She appeared suspicious of the unknown young man who stood at her door at this hour. “Can I help you with something?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um...yes I am sorry to bother you but is Devi home?” He realized at that moment the strangeness of his request and how it could be taken considering when he had shown up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hold on” The woman disappeared, leaving her door open and Paxton again was left to wait.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton took a breath to help calm himself then turned to face the door upon hearing the shuffling of footsteps and was relieved to see Devi at the door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The greeting was short as they both caught sight of Nalini Vishwakumar, Devi’s mom, leaning along the top of the staircase, eavesdropping not so subtly. Devi could not have her mom listening in. Devi did not know what this conversation would entail but given the nature of her past talks with Paxton, her asking him to have sex with her after all, she could not have her mom hearing that. She would very possibly kill her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s talk over here” Devi offered, walking outside and shutting the door behind her. Once they were at a safe distance, Paxton let what was bothering his mind spill out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanted to say I’m sorry for yesterday. I’m just kind of protective of my sister. She used to get bullied pretty bad...even by people I thought were my friends. I guess I’ve always been a little too protective. Like, when my parents first adopted her, I used to sit by her bed every night with a Nerf gun. That’s why our cat only has one eye now.” Paxton finished slowly, slightly embarrassed that a funny story had turned into him admitting to mistakenly hurting their family cat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton did not know why exactly he was sharing so much with Devi but it felt nice. It started to seem to Paxton that he did not think about every word when it came to Devi. It was weird but it was nice to share this with someone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Paxton, I would never make fun of your sister. She’s super fashionable and way cooler than me.” They were sharing a laugh at that blatantly honest remark when Devi’s mom knocking on the window interrupted them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No laughing.” She warned</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mom!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton had to interject, recalling something Devi had said in his garage, he lifted his hand in greeting. “I’m so sorry about your polio, Doctor Vishwakumar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Nalini shot back but she didn’t care for an answer and that showed when she let the curtain fall.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, thanks for the apology. If we’re cool, should we meet in your garage tomorrow?” Devi’s tone was hopeful but Paxton had other plans. He made a face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Actually, I don’t think that’s a good idea anymore. It just got weird, you know?” He felt a lot better and his voice took on a relaxed feel.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Despite the disappointment Devi felt, she played it off, she scoffed “Yeah, sure. I was gonna say the same thing too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton smiled and Devi gave a small one back, “Okay.” His words felt final and they knew their conversation was coming to an end. “Well, uh...I’ll see you at school.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paxton, pleased with the way the talk went, began his trek home and Devi dejectedly retreated back into her house. Paxton was once again walking away from Devi, but this time there was a difference. This time, Paxton looked back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So i think i’m gonna start just putting summaries like the one i have for this chapter seeing as this whole book will be a retelling and it might be easier, so i don’t spend time trying to think up a summary because i’m not the best at them but we’ll see and cross that bridge when we get there</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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